Oscar Talk: Atonement, Juno, and Michael Clayton

Categorized | Ashleigh Holmes, movies

Tags | Academy Awards, Keira Knightley, movie reviews, Oscars

Oscar Talk: Atonement, Juno, and Michael Clayton

Posted on 13 February 2008 by Ashleigh Holmes

I saw Atonement at a free screening before its initial release date. One of my friends had a free pass, but she couldn't go so she gave it to me. I don't know that I'm prone to Oscar vibes, but if I am, this one didn't give any off. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed it, but I didn't leave the theater thinking, "Man, that's gotta get nominated for something." The film is based on Ian McEwan's highly acclaimed novel of the same name.

James McAvoy's performance is moving, and I guess Keira Knightley is ok. I'm not one of those girls who feels the need to shove a couple of cheeseburgers down Keira's throat, but I'm not enamored with her either. The score is lovely. I adored the piece that Dario Marianelli composed for the young character Briony. I expected to hate the ending, but the rest of the movie was done so well, that I was only slightly indifferent.

Juno is another story altogether – quite literally. Juno MacGuff is a 16 year-old girl who finds herself in a very sticky predicament. She's pregnant, but after a failed trip to the abortion clinic, she decides that she's going to have the kid and give it up for adoption to a "needy" couple. As soon as the opening cartoon credits started, I had goosebumps. All of the performances were so REAL, especially Jennifer Garner's as the hopeful, adoptive mother. Sure she's a little neurotic and exacting, but one of her reactions left me breathless.

I would have given anything to have had parents as cool as Juno's dad and stepmom. They have an amazingly dry, witty humor that's just perfect. I don't know that it has what it takes to win Best Picture, but the screenplay by Diablo Cody is just golden, and I'll be a little disappointed if it doesn't win for Best Original Screenplay. The only other leading actress performance I've seen was from Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, so I can't really say for sure who'll win that contest, but I honestly feel like Ellen Page as Juno has, at the very least, a legitimate shot at winning.

I was a little sour going into Michael Clayton. I don't really like the serious dramas anymore, so even though a friend had said she enjoyed it, I was only watching it in order to write this review. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I spent the first part of the film being all too grateful that I decided not to go to law school, and thereby saved myself from a life of lying, cheating and stealing (my apologies if you're an attorney). Then the performances took over, and I was in a trance.

I've never been one to swoon over George Clooney, so I've only really paid attention to his roles in the Ocean's (11, 12 and 13) movies, which were good enough, but there are moments during Michael Clayton in which he absolutely shines. There's an exchange between him and Tom Wilkinson that's simply captivating. All things considered, I really think this one has a shot at winning Best Picture. It really has it all. The story is timely, well-written and well-developed; the acting is some of the best I've ever seen, and the ending is immensely powerful.

Bottom line, even though I loved Juno and I liked Michael Clayton and Atonement, unless you just have to see these before the Oscars on the 24th, I recommend waiting until they're out on DVD. None of them require the "theater experience." Stay tuned for next Wednesday's continuation of Oscar Talk.

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10 Comments For This Post

Dr. Danger Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Okay, Okay, Okay, I’ll go see Michael Clayton. Just know that I’m not going to be happy about it. And if at this point next year I’m not reading a review talking about how good Will Ferrell is in SEMI-PRO, I may have to seriously question your ability to watch and comment on movies. Oh and I did see Juno and I know exactly what moment you were referring to. I too will be disappointed if Juno doesn’t win multiple awards.
Ashleigh Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Wasn’t that moment in Juno just amazing?!
Daniel Dessinger Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Wow… I suck. I haven’t seen any of these three. Then again, I’ve gone to the theater twice in the past few months: The Great Debaters and American Gangster (both Denzel flicks… hmmm).

All the movies I see are typically rentals, so I’m behind the curve. Can’t wait to see these flicks on DVD!
Ashleigh Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I really want to see The Great Debaters. How was it?
Daniel Dessinger Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 11:08 am
The Great Debaters was a very good movie. I think I might be a bit biased, because debate is such an important part of my life. I naturally lean towards debate all the time.

The subject matter is very emotional and moving. Some people will be uncomfortable with the racism portrayed in the film, but I think it’s fairly historically accurate.

Definitely worth seeing. Don’t miss it.
Ashleigh Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I didn’t hear much about it, but I do remember one commercial for it that said something like, “It’ll restore your faith in film,” which sounds right up my alley. Films like that tend to restore my faith in activism. If they portray the old school racism accurately, I tend to get all hot and bothered and reaffirm my desire to “change the world.”
Daniel Dessinger Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Wow… Ashleigh, I just figured out why this blog always holds your comments for moderation instead of instantly posting them. Your email address has the letters “ass” within it, and I had set that as one of many flagged words for WordPress to require my moderation before approval.

You are now free to comment and see your comments instantly. Sorry for singling you out!
Ashleigh Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
That’s ok. I just thought that you always required moderated comments
nathan Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
ha…that’s funny about moderation about “ass” in an email address. Also, I really enjoyed the Michael Clayton movie…I was somewhat surprised to see it nominated for so many awards - must have been a weak year for movies.
Ashleigh Says:
February 14th, 2008 at 10:24 am
My email address has l”ass”ie in it, so that’s where that came from…as far as a weak year for movies, you might be onto something there. I can’t really think of any film that I think got robbed for lack of nominations, but it does seem like the same movies are nominated over and over. There’s not a lot of diversity.

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